


No Cure for Curiosity

by atllas



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Can be Romantic or Platonic rlly, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, MC is me and i try to sound smart but idk what im doing lol, MC likes to think about stuff, MC loves space and science, MC referred to as MC, Magic and Science, Not Beta Read, Satan's POV, mild flirting, non-gendered MC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atllas/pseuds/atllas
Summary: Satan gets a peek into the thoughts of the House of Lamentations resident human as MC ponders the source of magic.
Relationships: Main Character & Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character/Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	No Cure for Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> While I'm much better at art than I am at writing, I still like to stretch my literary legs every once in a while, and I just really wanted the chance to gush about topics that I take interest in.  
> I apologize for the inevitable stiffness of my writing style and my excessive use of the word 'exist' and it's varients lol  
> I hope you all enjoy anyway! I love Satan :)

3am. 

Certainly not a time Satan expected to be awake, yet here he was, making his way through the quiet halls of the House of Lamentation. His destination was the kitchen, where he was hoping a drink with some light reading would ease his mind enough to let him sleep. 

Satan turned the corner, already imagining the bite of demonus on his tongue before the sight in front of him made him pause. “Oh, MC. I wasn't expecting to see you here this late at night."

Said human jumped from their chair seated at the island counter, book in their hands nearly flying out of their grip as they scrambled to pause the sound coming from their D.D.D. “H-hey Satan! Uh, what are you doing up so late?" 

Satan raised a brow at their reaction, and moved to the cupboards as MC collected themself, grabbing the bottle of spirits he was after, along with a glass. "Just getting a quick drink before I retire to my room for the night." He poured from the decanter, eyeing MC from the side. "Though I could ask the same of you. A dark kitchen certainly wouldn't be my first choice for a proper reading spot."

"A-ah, yeah, I actually found a copy of a book I had back in the human world, it's one of my favorites." They waved the book in question, _Astrophysics for People in a Hurry_ , the title read. Not a topic Satan expected to see in MC's hands for sure. He watched as they motioned to their D.D.D. next to them that showed a paused video of a man speaking to a large auditorium. "Then I started looking up related videos of lectures from the same author, so I just got super caught up in all of that I guess."

Satan could understand that. He knows he's certainly lost himself in his readings countless times before. He returned the demonus to the cupboard, leaning on the counter to face MC while taking the first sip of his drink. Much better. “And what exact topic is it you've been interested in?"

“Mm...Theoretical cosmology? I guess?" They sounded unsure of their answer, though he could tell they seemed excited to talk about it as they studied the cover of their book. 

He decided to indulge them. While he had planned to return to his room, having the chance to pick the brain of his favorite human was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “Oh?"

His apparent interest seemed to spark a glimmer in MC’s eyes that Satan had rarely seen in them before. “Yeah! It's just...I've always loved space, even though I don't have the math brains for the technical side of it. Theorizing what's all out there, other worlds and galaxies that could have environments that we can't even imagine, the chance of there being alien life- that kind of thing. Then you have the massive sizes of celestial objects. Distances that are completely unfathomable. Spans of time that go beyond our comprehension. I love the 'what-ifs' and the possibilities." Satan took note of the near dreamy like look to them as they spoke of the wonders of the cosmos.

It was well known by all the brothers that MC had a love for sci-fi and space, often voting for those related genres on movie nights, though it seemed Satan underestimated just how enraptured they truly were with it. He knew MC still felt like they had to close off a certain amount of themself to the demon world they now inhabited, simply for self preservation in a place that could possibly threaten their life. But, he hoped, this might just be a topic he could use to see a little more into that hidden part of MC's private, inner self.

Astronomy wasn't a field Satan was as well-versed in as others, though from the material he's read on the subject, he could see the appeal. “That makes for quite a lot on your plate there. Hoping to understand the undiscovered universe is quite the endeavor." He moved to sit on the opposite side of the island, facing MC. It felt like he was finally getting the chance to step into their world.

MC smiled at him as he sat, and set the book aside to give Satan their full attention. “Yeah, but I don't think we're ever really meant to _fully_ know how the universe works. It would probably be too baffling for the human mind....but that also got me thinking about the fact that where I am right now already puts a cog into dozens of theories that scientists have pretty much accepted as truth."

“Ah, you mean being here in Devildom?"

Mc shrugged and rested their chin in their palm, free hand idly tracing the design of their D.D.D. case pensively. “Partly yeah, the fact that Devildom and the Celestial Realm even exist should be impossible. The presence of a heaven and hell was always restricted to spiritual or religious belief and had no factual or logical bearing in the world of science." They paused to lean back in their chair, squinting at the ceiling. "Unless they don't _actually_ exist and I'm in some extremely realistic dream or delusion, of course." they deadpanned.

Satan smirked and let out a breath of a laugh. “I can guarantee you, everything here is real."

“That sounds like something a delusion would say." MC grinned at Satan, making his smirk widen into a smile. 

MC looked back up to the ceiling, and Satan watched as their eyes darted back and forth, tiny micromovements trailing MC’s thoughts as they came into being. "But I mean...It's just impossible really, when you think about it. Magic was always the stuff of fairytales. There's no room for scientific explanation because it's just... _magic_ . It can't be explained, because it just _is_. That in itself is a paradox to the laws of the universe. Everything is supposed to be a give and take, with nothing ever being fully removed." Satan watched as MC leaned forward, brows furrowing in heavy thought as they spoke. He watched their hands start to move with their words as they got more and more into their own monologue.

"Fire consumes the fuel that it ignites, but gives off heat and carbon dioxide as a result. Matter into matter, all created at once at the time of the Big Bang. Never decreasing- just changing form. Magic disregards those laws. You can create fire in your hand with no fuel. Just because you're using magic."

Satan found himself leaning towards them, elbows resting on the counter, lips pressed to his interlocked fingers, with interest dancing in his eyes. “But if you consider the magic itself being the fuel, then the conundrum is solved."

MC brightened considerably at Satan’s contribution. “The issue there is that the magic would have to take on the properties of the traditional fuel that a fire would need, namely a combustible material, an oxidizer, and oxygen. All three are needed for the chain reaction to create fire as humanity understands it. To have one substance be able to morph itself into all three factors isn't understandable as it is without significant scientific study."

Satan hummed at the analogy, and while he knew that if given enough thought, the gaps in their analysis could be easily discovered, he simply found himself enamored with this side of MC. Who knew their little human had so many big thoughts? While he never doubted their intelligence, he also never took them as the type to take such interest in the theoretics of magic, especially considering they have been tested and proven to have near zero affinity for it.

MC sat back with a huff, arms crossed over their chest. “The only thing I can really think of, is that maybe magic is actually something more akin to dark matter. Human scientists haven't found a way to detect it, but they know it's there. We can plainly see that magic can interact with gravity, or cancel it out entirely. But that also means that it would need to exist _physically_ , as protons and neutrons. Magic would have to be a measurable substance in some shape or form. How could you explain whether someone has an affinity towards it or not then? What physical aspect of a body would determine magical inclination if we can't even accurately measure it?"

The demon smiled. The fact that they have no natural talent for magic seems to be exactly why they have such a keen interest in the topic. The unattainable prize. Just by knowing that one can never have it, makes one desire it that much more.

He leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin in thought. “Magic, in demons and angels, is innate in both sense and ability. Some are more adept at utilizing it, leading to some being overall more powerful than others because of it, but it's always existed in some amount in our races. We've never been without it, and it flows and breathes in us in a way that only _we_ can know and feel." He looked up at MC pointedly. "... _Feel_ , I would say, being the key word when it comes to magic."

Satan almost laughed at the near offended look MC gave him as they rolled their eyes dramatically and stood from their seat. Oh dear, were they going to start pacing? 

“That's the thing though! _Feeling_ as a way of calculating or quantifying something can never be accepted as scientific fact in the human world.” Yep, they started pacing. 

“If you went to a board of scientists and told them that something that we can't perceive or measure exists, just because you _feel_ it, you’d be laughed out of the room! That’s why dark matter is still only theoretical. We haven’t been able to directly observe it, and we can only theorize it’s _existence_ simply because of its _absence_ during calculations of related subjects. And it's not like you can use a magical item to measure magic, because it being magical in property nulls any basis you would have of getting an empirical, non-biased result.” They were even waving their arms for emphasis to boot, Satan was nearly giddy just watching them.

MC continued on, oblivious to Satan’s amusement at their expense. “ _Feeling_ , for us humans, is how we perceive the outside world around us. It's physical- just one of our basic five senses. A stimulation of nerves that sends a signal to our brain that converts those signals into information we can comprehend. We can't feel a fire with our hand and know that it's a thousand degrees, we would need precise instruments to measure and say for sure. We could tell you it’s _hot_ , but to human touch, every fire is _only_ hot, it can’t be warm, or cold, because it’s fire. It’s like an all or nothing, because anything else leads to us getting burned. To be able to stand in front of a demon with nothing but your intuition and say with absolute certainty ' _they have this much affinity for magic_ ' isn't in the realm of possibility for scientific understanding. Even phenomena such as gut feelings are only reactions based on experience and instinct that exist without logical rationale."

Satan desperately wished that he was recording this right now, both because he loved the way MC was so animatedly ranting, but also because their theories were rather fascinating. Part of him wanted to debate and point out the fallacies in their logic, but he would save that for later and let them have their moment now. “Perhaps that's the problem. Humans simply aren't evolved to the point to be able to fully sense the magic that exists around them. You've learned at RAD that magic exists even in the human world. There are some humans- sorcerers and witches, that have been able to perceive and use magic, and can bend it to their will. They exist, but they're the minority. A mutation of the human condition, as it were.”

MC's shoulders slumped, seemingly exasperated in a way that screamed ‘ _Oh, you had to bring THAT up._ ’ “And _that_ also begs the question of where exactly the two realms exist _physically_ in relation to Earth being the home of the human realm.”

They resumed their pacing, hands on their hips as they thoughtlessly wandered through the kitchen as they spoke. “Devildom is in perpetual night, which means that there would be no rotation of a planet to determine the time of day or year. The moon glows, which means that light from _some_ sun must reflect off of it, but no sun ever rises. And yet this place isn't plunged into below freezing temperatures because of that. Does Devildom exist as some paradox parallel universe to the human realm? Why don't the fundamental laws of physics apply here? Is it because of the innate magic that exists so strongly that keeps it sustained? If so, then how does magic determine what's needed for life to survive? Does that mean magic is _sentient_ somehow? If the realms exist in this way, how have demons, angels, and humans evolved so physically similar to each other even though their respective environments in which they evolved are so vastly different?" MC looked to Satan like they were expecting him to answer every question they posed, their splayed arms, hunched shoulders, and wide eyes the epitome of asking ‘ _Well???_ ’

Satan couldn’t contain it anymore and laughed, hand coming up to cover his mouth at the pout and glare MC sent him in response. “They’ve always said the most dangerous thing about you humans was your endless curiosity.” he said while dabbing at the corner of his eyes.

“That's rich coming from you Satan. You're the one with enough books to fill four libraries on your own! You've lived for thousands of years and you're telling me you've never questioned _why_ you exist as you do?"

The demon quirked an eyebrow at the question, and motioned to himself with a wave of an arm. “Oh, I'm quite familiar with my creation. A being born of Wrath. Another paradoxical problem for you I'm sure. The answer to that line of questioning will all lead back to magic, I'm afraid."

MC looked like they wanted to pull at their hair. “That's _precisely_ the kind of stuff I'm talking about! How can an _emotion_ , with no physical existence, build up to the point where it breaks off from _one_ being to create _another_ real, physical, _conscious_ being? It's like cellular mitosis, or some weird asexual reproduction, but not! How are you not horrifyingly amazed about all of this!!" They paused before adding with an additional huff- “And you can’t write off explaining things as just ‘ _magic_ ’! It’s against the rules!”

Satan didn’t deign them with a response to that and continued on. “As for _why_ I exist..I understand for many humans, it's often seen as one's life journey to figure out one’s own reason for living. It's a philosophical question that is pointed inward towards the self, not something that has a definite answer that can be quantified and measured. I would venture to say that I agree with that sentiment."

MC sighed and sat back in their chair at the island. “The question at this point isn't so much _why_ one exists, but _how_. The existence of angels and demons throws away the majority of what humanity understands. Magic _exists_ , and in turn, magical worlds and beings also exist because of it. Ninety-nine percent of humans don't even know that it's all around them, or that these worlds exist, mirrored to their own. They're living in total ignorance to the fact that a whole other set of non-physical laws exist.” MC slumped a bit into their seat. “And I get why. Like you said, humans just haven't evolved to be able sense or use magic normally, so we can never fully understand it, not to the point that angels and demons do. Anything can be a dangerous tool in the hands of someone who doesn't understand how to use it properly- magic included. Human infrastructure around the world would be dismantled overnight at the revelation that magic _is_."

“Hence why you signed the blood waiver at the start of the school year vowing to never reveal it to the human masses on your return."

MC nodded sagely to that. “Hence the blood waiver."

They were both quiet for a moment, and Satan took the opportunity to take a sip of his forgotten demonus. He swirled the liquid in the glass, and looked back up to the human across from him. “If you'd like, I'm sure I could scrounge up some texts that could answer your questions, or I could connect you to some professors I'm associates with who could help you on your quest for enlightenment?"

MC laughed lightly, waving a hand in front of them. “Oh no, you don't have to do anything like that. Thank you though. I...actually kinda like having some unanswered questions? Gives me stuff to think about, you know?"

Satan nodded at that, raising his glass to his lips for another sip. “Where's all the fun of hypothesizing if there's no question to get you started?"

They snapped their fingers and grinned conspiratorially. “Exactly! Finding all the answers from the get go just makes things boring. It's the investigation that makes it interesting, regardless of if you ever get an answer or not. Just like a good novel! It doesn't matter what the conclusion is like if the lead up is lacking. 'Life is about the journey, not the destination' as they say!"

Satan’s brows lifted in delight, a genuine smile gracing his features. “Careful now, you’re starting to sound like a bonafide Sherlock Holmes. Are you trying to steal my heart, MC?"

They had the gall to wink and send him a saccharine smile of their own. “I guess that's just another question that remains to be answered, my dear Watson!"

The demon chuckled at their boldness. “Cheeky."

MC laughed as they gathered their phone and book and stood. “Thanks Satan, by the way, for letting me talk at you like this, I'm sorry if I've kept you from anything."

Satan waved them off, standing as well, and set his now empty wine glass in the sink. “Not at all, I've found this talk quite illuminating. I'd love to continue this another time when you're willing."

He felt a warmth in his chest at the way their whole being seemed to glow at the idea. “Absolutely! We haven’t even grazed the surface on the implications of the existence of what is essentially heaven and hell, and what that would mean for human spiritualism and religion and it's connection to space and possible alien life. Oh, and we could even watch The Cosmos series by Neil Degrasse Tyson! Or Michio Kaku's presentation of the Universe in a Nutshell! Oh wait, I should find some lectures that to go into the theory of the multiverse, which I've thought might explain Devildom and the Celestial Realm-"

Satan chuckled warmly at their childlike excitement. “I look forward to it." He followed MC out of the kitchen and around the corner, coming to a stop outside the door of their room. "Get some good rest MC, I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."

“You too Satan, and thank you again. Sleep well!"

He certainly would, for he was sure their parting smile would stay with him the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I would love some critique seeing as I'm extremely rusty when it comes to writing, and I've never written Satan or anything Obey Me before, so I would love to know how to improve!  
> Feel free to check out my tumblr and let me know if you would like to see more like this: atllas.tumblr.com
> 
> The book MC refers to is an actual book written by Neil Degrasse Tyson, and I highly recommend his texts and lectures you can find online if you have any interest in space! Also, if you'd like to watch my favorite video about space, just look up TIMELAPSE OF THE FUTURE: A Journey to the End of Time on youtube! It's an amazing watch, based on numerous theories scientists have put forward about how our universe will age trillions of years into the futureFascinating stuff if you ask me!


End file.
